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Friday, February 1, 2013

Black History Month: Music in the 18th Century

Although a tiny minority of classical musicians even today are of African descent, there have been many outstanding musicians over the centuries.

In the Eighteenth Century, the most well known was Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745 - 1799). His father was a planter on the Caribbean island, Guadeloupe, and his mother a slave. The family moved to France in 1853 and he acquired a first-class education. Known today as the Black Mozart (Le Mozart Noir), he was active as a violinist, conductor, and composer in Paris. He composed symphonies, concertos, sinfonia concertantes (concertos for more than one instrument), and operas. It was he who commissioned Haydn's Paris Symphonies.

About Me

Amy Edmonds came to Ball State University as Music Librarian in November, 2008. Her previous positions have included Music Librarian at Southwest State University (now Texas State University at San Marcos) and Chief of the Music Division of the District of Columbia Public Library. She has also been a performer, playing viola with orchestras in DC and Iowa, including the Quad Cities Symphony. She holds a Masters Degree in Library Service from Columbia University in New York and is ABD in Historical Musicology at the University of Texas, Austin.